


Saving Sunshine

by saxophonesandcuesticks



Series: Tales of a Junktown Jerky lover [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-21 14:55:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18704614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saxophonesandcuesticks/pseuds/saxophonesandcuesticks
Summary: After Tessa blows The Institute out of the water, Preston says something that hurts not only her, but the after effects are felt all over.Can Hancock save her from herself? Or will it be too late?





	Saving Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Ive returned! And honestly this fic is literally a fixit fic for VERY SPECIFIC dialogue Preston has after you blow up the institute with the railroad. Or well, *i* at least got it, and it made me very m a d
> 
> It DOES put Preston in a bad light, but i was very angery at the dialogue
> 
> I also have more planned, so stay tuned 👀
> 
> Feel free to leave questions, comments, concerns, or memes in the comments!!!

“What YOU did General? That was mass murder!!” Preston snapped, “The fact that they were enemies to the Commonwealth doesn't excuse that!!!”

 

Hancock stood on the other side of the wall, listening to the argument between Tess and Garvey go down. And goddamn was Garvey going for a low blow. But if John knew his Sunshine, and he did, she was about to make the Minuteman eat his own words, and possibly verbally castrate him. At least it wasn’t at The Castle, where SGT Ronnie Shaw was. Ronnie would’ve been on Preston like green on a super mutant right after Tess was done. That woman may have been old, but god _damn_ did the gal have spunk. Especially when it came to artillery fire. She'd have shamed Garvey in front of the main body of the Commonwealth Minutemen for yelling at General McLain for doing what she had to do for the safety of the Commonwealth as a whole.

 

“Oh! Don't you _DARE_ pull _that_ bullshit on me Garvey! We gave _EVERY_ civilian a chance to escape, and I fucking managed to free synths that wanted to be free of the Institute's claws, and start a completely new life. Bet you didn't fucking think of that, now did you? And not only that, but who's the one who's been making sure settlements are secure and safe since I _LEFT_ that goddamned vault and got y'all here??? _ME,_ Garvey. It's been _me_ ! But you’re too stuck up in your “self-righteous-holier-than-thou” bullshit to even SEE that. _YOU_ pushed being general off on me since I fucking met you, didn't even consider what I initially set out to do in the first place. This is far from a repeat of Quincy, if that's what you're fucking thinking. I'm not turning my back on the people who need me most like they did. I've done more for the Minutemen in these past few months than you have, AND YOU WERE APART OF THEM YEARS BEFORE MYSELF. Don't forget who's been at the beck and call of not just every settlement, but yours when you send me to go find a new one.”

 

“I.....” And there was the realization along with guilt from his actions. If Hancock hadn't seen (and suffered through, especially when she stepped on that goddamned platform the first time) every event leading up to The Railroad storming The Institute and beyond, he'd _almost_ feel bad for the guy. But outright calling her a murderer like that took the balls the size of a Deathclaw, and honestly? Preston deserved what beratement he was getting from Tessa because the lackey wasn't there and was jumping to conclusions.

 

“Save it soldier. I don’t wanna hear it. Good night.” Ouch, not even calling him by name. And with that, she stormed out of the ratty house, completely walking past Hancock with a flourish of the snazzy coat she swiped off That asshole Maxon when The Railroad bombed the Prydwen.

 

“General, wai-” Kid sounded defeated and sad. But again, Hancock felt Garvey deserved it, especially after that debacle.

 

“Don’t even try brother.” Hancock began, stepping out of the shadows, startling Preston as he looked the other in the face. “Look, you did wrong by her. And she had every right to be as pissed as a Deathclaw. My girl lost a _lot_ when The Institute blew up. Her son? Was twice her age when they took him 60 years ago and dying of motherfuckin cancer that even _his_ lackeys couldn’t fix. She’s going through a lot, and you couldn't even bother to think of what she fucking went through. Her son, who, also by the way, was leading the institute, was among those casualties. But no, you decided you needed to have the balls the size of a super mutant to tell her those things you did. It'll be a wonder if she even talks to you outside of work again. Think on that brother.”

 

“I.....had no idea....”

 

“Of course you didn't. You just assumed shit like any self righteous fuckwad would. Didn't even give her a goddamn chance to speak. And that's low. You knew she was a Vaultie. But yet, you never questioned _how_ she somehow looks like the Pre-War Nuka Cola girl? You told her your life story, but shit man, you didn't let her tell you hers, and you trusted her. Now you go and pull that shit? Calling her a damn murderer after all she's done for not just the Minutemen, but the commonwealth as a whole? She _liked_ working with you Garvey. And you took that and railed it with a fuckin nuke. Now, it's late, and I need to go talk to Tess. See ya.” With that, Hancock too, left the minuteman alone with a lot to stew over.

 

Unfortunately, while he had been chatting up what used to be her second hand man, she disappeared, and wasn't even in the large metal shack she built for herself, or _anywhere_ in Sanctuary for that matter. But luckily, Valentine was chillin in the little makeshift outdoor lounge Tessa had put together, “Hey Nicky, did she mention where'd she went?”

 

“No, but I heard sniffling as she walked by, and she did take Captain. Well, more like the pooch sensed something was up and followed her. But she seemed to be in her thoughts. What happened?”

 

“Garvey called her a Mass Murderer to her face without all the facts, or hearing about what she'd lost in the process.”

 

“He didn't......”

 

“Oh he did. Had the balls as big as a deathclaw. Heard the whole thing. He didn't even give her a chance to tell her side of the story. And sufficient to say, Tessa verbally castrated him, then left. After she'd gone I chatted with him a bit. During that, she'd left, ‘n my gut tells me that she's gonna do somethin’ real stupid.”

 

“Shit. Need me to come with?”

 

“Yeah. I think Radio Freedom mentioned something about Super Mutants at a settlement. Greengrove? No. Its Green.....something.”

 

“Greentop Nursery? She went to go fight them _alone_???”

 

“Yeah. That's it.” And with that, they quickly grabbed a few weapons, more than a few stimpacks, and Hancock nabbed some med-x for her just in case, and a psycho or two for himself because he might need to go apeshit on some super mutants to get her out safe and alive.

 

-:-:-:-

 

Once the two arrived at the settlement, they were greeted by Captain, who seemed very happy to see the two, and Nick did some inquiring, asking where the general went to go fight the mutants. The reply was something Hancock didn't know would be his nightmare.

 

Tessa went to the old Fallon's _alone_.

 

His chest felt tight, and Captain nudged his face into Hancock's palm, giving the ghoul sweet, yet slobbery dog kisses bring a tight chuckle out of Hancock. The attention from the dog helped take the edge off, but John was still worried fucking sick about her. Once Nick was done talking with the settlers, he stood near Hancock and the latter looked up at him, seeing anger and worry reflecting his own emotions in those yellow lights. “Garvey is gonna fuckin pay if she’s severely hurt, or worse, dead. I get first goddamn dibs.”

 

“I know Hancock. Trust me, I'm as pissed as you. She didn’t deserve any of the treatment he gave her. But what we need to do is find her, and luckily, for us at least, Cap is here. He'll be able to sniff her out, make our jobs a lot easier.”

 

“I know Nicky. Doesn't mean I like that she went alone.”

 

“Yeah, I'm worried about her.......”

 

“You n’ me both brother. You n’ me both.” With a heavy sigh, John stood, his expression of grim determination. Before this, he thought of the Minuteman in high regards. But now Hancock was just pissed at him, and wanted to do more than just deck the guy. Later though. He had much bigger issues on hand with a rescue mission.

 

“Ready Nick?”

 

“As ready as I'll ever be. C'mon Cap, let’s go find her.” An affirmative bark from the pooch, and he began following the scent trail to the old Fallion's.

 

-:-:-:-

 

It took a few hours, luckily with two men being well, not of the fully human persuasion, they were able to go faster than normal. But, the building was entirely quiet. _Too_ quiet.

 

As they slowly and stealthily approached the old store, Captain’s ears were perked more so than usual, and angled toward any sounds he might hear. After a heartbeat, Captain barked quietly and took off in a random direction, with Hancock following close behind, as quietly as he could.

 

Soon, there was the soft sound of Hancock's voice on a holotape from none other than Tessa's Pip-boy. Hancock froze for a brief moment, time somehow moving slower than a Psychojet high, and he ran over to her limp body, his chest feeling tight, making it hard to breathe, and tears welled in his eyes.

 

Nick knelt by the two, letting Hancock place her head in his lap as he rocked and cried, praying to whatever deity lay in the heavens for her not to be dead. The detective checked her pulse, she was still alive, only barely. But he gave her the stimpak, well, more like stimpak _s_ , but her wounds were healing, which is a good sign. Very good actually.

 

“Hey, hey John, look.” Nick murmured gently, pointing to her wounds, “she'll be okay. She's healing.”

 

The look on his face was so damn hopeful and distraught, Nick could only imagine how the ghoul was feeling. Digging through Tessa's pack, he found the flare gun used to signal the other Minutemen on a moments notice. And he fired it.

 

The aid came quickly, all of them recognizing Nick and John as travelling partners of their beloved general, and they _all_ worked to get her back to the Red Rocket, keeping tabs on her condition the entire way there. At some point she stirred, but her gaze seemed hazy and glassy, like she wasn’t fully conscious.

 -:-:-:-

Once they got Tess in the big bed she'd built at the truckstop, and set up as comfortable as they could get her, there was a broadcast made on Radio Freedom for the Minutemen to stay vigilant and protect their brothers and sisters in arms, and the settlements under the blue banner while General McLain recovered from her ordeal.

 

As they listened, Nick brought John a big, plush chair for him to sit in for long periods of time, and had a settler come tend to the crops here and make sure Hancock ate while he wasn't here. “She'll recover Hancock. Just give it time.”

 

“I....I know she’s resilient Nicky. Toughest gal I know. But......this is the worst thing I've seen her put herself through. Can't help but think she _wanted_ to die there Nick........ The fact that they were attacking a settlement gave her a chance to die doing something noble.” Hancock croaked as he watched her lifeless, but breathing body, wiping some of the tears he was shedding with the sleeve of his coat.

 

“I'd say you’re wrong and that's not what happened, but, she left not just us, but Captain too. And not to mention that holotape of you was on repeat. Unfortunately, you're on the nose with that one......”

 

“I know....... Hey, would you do me a favor Nick?”

 

“Sure kid, what's up?”

 

“Keep _him_ away from here till she recovers. I don’t care if he wants to see how she's doing or what happened. If I see him, it won't be pretty.”

 

“ _That's_ a promise I can keep. Anyone else you want me to keep away?”

 

“No, anyone else can come by. If Ronnie Shaw herself wants to visit, I don’t mind. But keep Garvey out.”

 

“You got it kid.” With a tip of his hat, Nick left and went to go inform Sanctuary of Tessa's status.

 

-:-:-:-

A bit after dinner, Garvey had the gall to approach the synth, hat in his hands. “C-can I-”

 

“No. You....you fucked up kid. After what you told her, she went to go kill herself by taking on a hoard of super mutants _alone_. Hancock is guarding over his gal, and if you come near her, it won't be pretty. Especially considering that it was him, Captain and myself who found her bruised, broken, bloody, and barely breathing outside the old Fallon's, ready to die.”

 

“She......did she really?”

 

“No, I'm saying this for my own health and amusement. _Yes_ , she did Garvey. She was absolutely ready to kill herself over everything. Nearly succeeded too if Hancock n’ I hadn't found her in time. Once she's recovered, you need to do a lot of ass kissing to her _and_ Hancock especially. He nearly lost the love of his life. While I'm mad, he's more pissed than I am, and rightfully so.” Nick grumbled, lighting a cigarette.

 

Preston slumped into a chair, a hand running through the well-kept fuzz on his head, his expression showing distressed shock. Kid's mind was obviously thinking about how that beautiful force of nature could even think of killing herself. “Oh my god.....and it's all my fault.....”

 

“Yeah, yeah it is.” Nick didn't even try to sugarcoat it. “Garvey.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Next time? Think before you speak kid.”

 

“Will do.” Garvey at least had the nerve to sound defeated.

-:-:-:-

 

Three days. Three. Damn. Days.

 

That’s how long it took Tess to show some signs of life other than soft, steady breathing. And those days were the longest three days Hancock has ever gone through. He didn't even touch his stash or sleep because he wanted to be sober and awake when she stirred.

 

Day one, the Minuteman Doc came by and taught Hancock how to move her limbs to keep her blood flow going, as well as checked on her pulse, breathing, other basics. John felt so numb to any feelings beyond the damn near paralyzing worry about Tessa and if she was going to wake up. He didn’t use his stash. Didn’t even want to. He'd end up either over analyzing the situation, or worse, making it seem longer than it already was.

 

By day two he didn't even feel hungry as he begrudgingly ate what the settler tending the crops made for him. But he held her hand, checking her pulse, and every once in awhile moving her limbs exactly how the Minuteman doc showed her, keeping her blood flow going. Hancock was determined to not lose her, and if he did? Well, there was a certain Minuteman in Sanctuary who was going to get the brunt of his grief and then some.

 

Everyone had left flowers, get well cards, and even old stuffed animals on the counter in the main part of the building as they visited, even shedding a few tears, followed by them giving Hancock reassurance that she'd be alright. But of course, Hancock wasn't so sure. Though he didn't voice it aloud.

 

But then, on the third day, breaking the dead silence of the room as Hancock napped lightly, was a cough. Light and strained, but it was there. Hancock perked up at the noise, relief washing over him like a tidal wave, and then he rushed over grasping her hand, pressing gentle kisses all over it, murmuring soft, sweet nothings as she slowly awoke.

 

“Hey sunshine.” He cooed softly, his voice cracked as her eyes opened, trying to adjust to the dim light.

 

“J-John...... Wh-what happened? I-I remember going to the Fallion's...”

 

“Yeah. The super mutants were dead, luckily we didn't see many mutant bodies, but one got you good with a nailed board. You were so lifeless, leanin up against the building an barely breathin’ Sunshine. Scared me so much that I'd lost you....... Nicky found your flare gun and with the help of the Minutemen, we got you back here, to Red Rocket. Gave me a good scare there Sunshine. An’ I ain't too keen on goin through it again.”

 

Tears were in her eyes, and streaming down her face when he looked up. “Oh Sunshine.......  I ain't mad at you. Your depression ain't to fault. Garvey’s to blame for this whole mess. But enough of that. You need to rest and relax. Not to mention you look like you could use some good ol’ ghoul lovin.” He hummed, loving her smile at the little joke. Shedding his boots and outer layers, he then slid into the bed beside her, letting Tess lay on his chest. “Love you honey.”

 

“I love you more Sunshine.” Hancock rumbled, gently petting her skin and kissing the top of her head as she drifted off once more. And somehow? This was the most relaxed he'd ever been in months, and it almost surpassed the first night after Tess _finally_ let him ‘knock boots’ with her as she'd put it. Yeah, there was no changing the fact that he'd loved her more than anything, and while parts of him loved just how soft and curvaceous she was, something in him wanted to turn her ghoul just so he'd have her all to himself.

 

Ridiculous? Probably. Selfish? Absolutely. But Tess was _his_ gal, and he was hopelessly head over heels. He was especially glad he was there when she came back from The Institute the first time. She was so broken and depressed and only he could get close enough to put her back together again.

 

It took time, months actually, to get her to leave the Rocket for a few minutes just to sit outside and get some sun. Took less time getting her to eat, but his persistence and her hunger won out, and for that he was grateful.

 

General Tessa McLain was too fucking precious to him, and he would take all the time in the world to get her to realize that. Hell, Hancock would've given her the moon if only she'd asked. Tess was his Sunshine, his love, the light of his life. _She_ was the one who gave him a new outlook on life. The positive woman who lost everything, falling for the Junkie who ran from everything.

 

She was everything he could've asked for and more. Did he adore her? Abso-fuckin-lutely. Did he deserve her? No. But he wasn’t about to do anything to lose her either.

-:-:-:-

Everyone was overjoyed to hear that Tessa had woken up. Though there would still be time before she could do any fieldwork. As soon as the announcement was made, everyone across the settlements celebrated the good news. It had only been three days of her being unconscious, but soon she'd be back fighting the Good Fight. Helping the little guy, and being the all around perfect woman for her ghoul lover and best friend.


End file.
